Iran launched a major retaliatory missile strike against Israel on Friday night, targeting key cities including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, in response to Israel’s largest-ever military operation against the Islamic Republic earlier in the day.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel as explosions echoed through its two largest cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that Iran launched two salvos of missiles, with fewer than 100 missiles fired in total. Most were intercepted or fell short of their targets, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. The U.S. military assisted in intercepting incoming missiles, underscoring heightened regional cooperation amid the escalating conflict.
Israeli media reported multiple casualties. Channel 12 confirmed two people were critically injured, eight moderately, and at least 34 sustained minor injuries from shrapnel. Several buildings, including a residential apartment in Ramat Gan and another in central Tel Aviv, sustained significant damage.
Iranian state media, IRNA, claimed the Islamic Republic fired hundreds of ballistic missiles in retaliation for Israeli strikes earlier in the day, which reportedly targeted Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear facility and resulted in the deaths of top Iranian military figures. Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, but Western nations, including Israel, allege Tehran is developing weapons-grade material.
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that Israel’s strike had destroyed the pilot enrichment plant at Natanz, with assessments still underway regarding additional damage to Fordow and Isfahan nuclear sites.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of initiating a war, vowing a harsh response. Iranian U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani claimed the Israeli strikes killed 78 people, including senior commanders, and wounded more than 320 others, mostly civilians. He also held the U.S. complicit, warning Washington of the consequences.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation in a televised address, stating it would “continue for as many days as it takes to remove the threat.” He reiterated long-standing Israeli concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, asserting that the assault was intended to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Israel’s U.N. ambassador Danny Danon claimed intelligence showed Iran was days away from producing enough fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.
The developments have significantly raised fears of a broader regional conflict. Crude oil prices spiked by over $3 per barrel amid concerns of disruption across the oil-rich region. However, OPEC has stated there are currently no plans to alter production.
In a phone interview with Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that Washington had foreknowledge of Israel’s plans and reiterated his preference for a diplomatic resolution. Nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, remain on the agenda, though their status is now uncertain.
Meanwhile, Israeli security sources revealed that Mossad had carried out covert operations deep within Iran ahead of the attack, targeting strategic missile systems and establishing a drone base near Tehran. The Israeli military also claimed to have destroyed dozens of Iranian air defense assets, including radars and surface-to-air missile systems.
Iranian society reacted with a mix of fear and defiance. In Natanz, residents reported panic following the explosions, while others expressed solidarity with the government’s nuclear ambitions. “I will fight and die for our right to a nuclear programme,” said a Basij militia member in Qom.
The attack reportedly eliminated at least 20 senior Iranian military commanders and six top nuclear scientists, according to regional intelligence sources. Among those killed were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of Iran’s armed forces, and Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Newly appointed IRGC leader Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour vowed a fierce response, stating, “The gates of hell will open to the child-killing regime.”
While Iran’s regional capacity for proxy retaliation has been severely weakened—following heavy losses for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria—new threats have emerged. A missile believed to have been launched from Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck Hebron in the West Bank, injuring three Palestinian children, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
As tensions soar and diplomatic avenues narrow, the region stands on the brink of further escalation. Both sides have signaled readiness for sustained confrontation, raising urgent concerns about the potential for a wider Middle East conflict.
